José Álvarez (baseball, born 1989)

Career

José Álvarez entered professional baseball after signing with the Boston Red Sox as an international free agent in July 2005, having been born in Barcelona, Anzoátegui, Venezuela. He started his career in the Dominican Summer League with the DSL Red Sox in 2006, putting up a 2-1 record, a 1.61 ERA, and 64 strikeouts over 61 innings. The next year, with the GCL Red Sox in the Gulf Coast League, he went 4-1 with a 1.84 ERA—good for third in the league—and 38 strikeouts across 49 innings. A step up to Single-A ball with the Greenville Drive in the South Atlantic League in 2008 proved tougher: he finished 8-9 with a 5.70 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 118 innings.

In 2009, Álvarez bounced back with the Lowell Spinners in the Low-A New York-Pennsylvania League, earning a mid-season All Star nod. He ended the season 8-3, posting a 1.52 ERA that ranked third in the league and first in the Boston farm system, with 63 strikeouts in 83 innings. He also made appearances for the Salem Red Sox in the High-A Carolina League, going 1-1 with a 4.74 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 24 innings. That November, the Red Sox traded him and Hunter Jones to the Florida Marlins organization for Jeremy Hermida.

With the Marlins, Álvarez spent 2010 with the Greensboro Grasshoppers in the Single-A South Atlantic League, where his 10-3 record placed him third in the league in wins. He had a 3.58 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 108 innings. The following year, pitching for the Jupiter Hammerheads in the High-A Florida State League, he was again a mid-season All Star, finishing 6-5 with a 2.96 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 82 innings. He was also recognized twice as having the best changeup in the Marlins farm system.